Helen Pickett’s sensual and powerful Oasis, set to a commissioned score of the same name by Emmy award-winning composer Jeff Beal (House of Cards), returns to the Smuin stage on 20 April 2018. Pickett offers challenge and inspiration to dancers and audiences alike, igniting the stage with passionate energy. A feast for the senses, Oasis explores the concept of water in its many incarnations and implications, celebrating its abundance and its essential role in life. Following its premiere in spring 2016, the San Francisco Chronicle called the ballet 'stirring and gorgeously dispatched'.

To conclude Smuin's 24th season, master dance-maker Val Caniparoli returns with a world premiere entitled If I Were a Sushi Roll with music from the album Confessions by Nico Muhly & Teitur. Capitalizing on the strengths of the Smuin dancers, Caniparoli weaves a unique movement narrative that transforms time-honored classical forms into vibrant, cutting-edge, and humanistic dance experiences.